The Deadly Road to Truth
by A Loading Screen
Summary: Alchemy was a science the world abandoned, its only remnants being used for historical or entertainment value. The Truth is that alchemy remains a large part of our world, whether we acknowledge it or not. Young Allen stumbles upon this revelation...when he unintentionally performs Human Transmutation, transporting him and his friends to the country of Amestris. Brotherhood-based.


___Alchemy was a science the world abandoned, its only remnants being used for historical or entertainment value. The Truth is that alchemy remains a large part of our world, whether we acknowledge it or not. Young Allen stumbles upon this revelation...when he unintentionally performs Human Transmutation and is transported to the country of Amestris._

******Chapter 1**

The young man stared blankly at the virtual paper on his laptop screen. He could feel the empty image mocking his creativity. The small, solitary line blinked across the top-left corner of the page, like it was a foot tapping repeatedly from impatience. His fingertips stood firm atop the letters on the keyboard but they never pressed a key, instead choosing to tap the plastic surface as a stoic expression laid itself upon his face. He removed his hands briefly from the keys to insert the headphones lying by his side into his ears. Briefly ignoring the taunting flash of the cursor, he navigated towards the song selection, hoping to lose himself in a track from his repertoire of jazz and classical piano music.

He forced himself to stare at that blank page again. Many times before, he would have a spark of inspiration emerge only to have it disappoint him by the time it appeared on screen. He looked at the keyboard, disgruntled to see that the backspace button was more faded than any of the letters. He heaved a sigh and turned his head towards the moon, as if it was going to ignite what little creativity remained in his dormant mind. Perfection, it seemed, was out of arm's reach, just like the moon in the night sky.

He let the strokes of his fingertips record the voice in his head. Soon the blank page was like a horribly designed flag, black strewn about upon a white background with green, red, and blue lines running beneath them. Casual and formal language was scattered needlessly across the white page, and as he read, the less he understood. Staring at his disastrous attempt at brainstorming, he laid his finger once again on the backspace button...but then retracted it. This time, his discontent would not be the end of the journey. The task he was going to undertake required the need for failure.

He saw connections, where the most powerful of meanings emerged from the simplest of words. The blending of language that had once became incomprehensible jargon now began to make sense. He moved his mouse towards block of texts, moving them every which way until the colors began to vanish from the page. He began to pleasantly admire his work – it was the tale of a young man, not dissimilar to himself, unaware that a part of his soul had been stolen from him. In order to have it returned, his heart looked to the abandoned philosophical practice that was alchemy...

* * *

___The Law of Equivalent Exchange. For every single thing that is destroyed in this universe, there is another thing being created that is of equal value. It remains an eternal truth that neither god nor man have been able to disprove. It is this, quite literally, universal law that allows the mere concept of reality to exist and remain in balance. _

___A human body can be broken down like an alloy or even the air that we breathe, but like any object, it can decay, it can disappear from reality. A soul, however, is a much more special case – while objects become intangible over time, a soul becomes tangible if handled shortly after a person's death. This single entity, that while minimally researched, has been given the appropriate attribute 'pure energy.' It is impossible not to guess what one might do with such power, and that might entice excitement or fear in you, depending on your imagination. _

___In me, it is fear that dominates my mind._

___I tapped into a power meant to be kept under the earth. The world I found myself in was filled with more danger than I thought I'd ever have to encounter. If I had the chance to prevent any of this from happening, I would seize it, without hesitation. I believe the accumulation of the pleasant experiences I had in Amestris could never compensate for the sacrifices I made to get there. ____But it is too late for me to turn back the hands of time. I wanted everything to be just a dream, but the fact that I have suffered so much in the world of the Fullmetal Alchemist reminds me otherwise. _

___I have relinquished the lives of many strangers, leading them to a lost and despair-ridden purgatory between Hell and Truth. I cannot bring back the lives I cut short, but I swore to carry their burdens to my own grave. It was the only form of Equivalent Exchange I could offer them._

___Equality, balance, and order. Whether it be the physical, the ethereal, the emotional, or the mental, the universe conspires to bring these things to a complete harmony._

___I, as a philosopher, must ensure that harmonious order. Even if it costs me my life._

___Please forgive all I have done. I have treasured your company to the fullest, and I shall remember you dearly and solemnly._

* * *

Allen never expected this to happen. He anticipated a small meeting between his friends after school to discuss plans for the upcoming school festivities. Instead, he found himself in a chair, frowning at the accumulated mass of papers and forms that were laid on the desk before him.

"Explain to me again...why do I have to do this, dear?" He complained, reaching for the pile and taking a form out, titled ___Club Constitution for High School Students_. He began to grab other papers, setting them down side by side, and quickly recognized they were all related to the school council in some way, shape, or form. Stacking the papers and putting them back onto the rather large pile, he set all of them aside and looked up to direct his attention to the female who had been his only companion ever since he walked in.

"I thought I warned you not to call me that." The girl reminded him bitterly. "Besides, you were the one to say you wanted to make a club, so I went out of my way to get all the forms you needed. You're welcome."

"I never said that...Shion." He was careful to use her nickname this time. It was practically her new name – even her friends used it more than her real one. "I told you I wanted the three of us – You, Matthew, and I – to cosplay as characters from_Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood _for Halloween, which, I remind you, is in less than a week. How you two somehow came to the conclusion that I wanted to make a club is beyond me." Her face said otherwise. She was giving this aura that she was not going to be defied this time, and it sent shivers down his spine. He had little time to save himself. "But...since you took all this time and effort to get this to me..."

Her mood changed in an instant as she gave him a bright smile, contrasting the expression she made just a few seconds ago. He could tell that she was indulging in her small victory. "Thanks, Allen. I knew I could count on you." She turned and walked towards the classroom door, giving him an overhead wave. "I'll see you tomorrow. I'm sure you can handle yourself with those forms." She slammed the door behind her, leaving the young man in the room alone, in a void of silence.

Allen sighed in disappointment. He didn't walk in the classroom to do work that would take all afternoon. He was lucky that he still had that mechanical pencil and eraser still stuffed in his left pocket from earlier that morning.

Time seemed to pass by uneventfully until he came across a peculiar sheet of paper. It was blank save for a simple set of directions – Construct a Human Transmutation Circle. Of course, he complied. After all, Shion must have had the teachers make him recreate a mock Transmutation Circle in order to dispel any rumors of inappropriate symbols or insignias. Plus, he did let her know that he wanted to draw a large one in the middle of the school, since it was always free for decoration.

"Circle, Triangle, Kite, Pentagram, Hexagram..." Allen muttered to himself as he drew the circle. "They represent the runes for which alchemy can be used." He smiled as he began to create a bulleted list next to his completed Transmutation Circle. "Water, 35L. Carbon, 20kg. Ammonia, 4L. Lime, 1.5kg. Phosphorus, 800g, Salt, 250g, Saltpeter, 100g. Sulfur, 80g. Fluorine, 7.5g. Iron, 5g. Silicon, 3g. And fifteen other trace elements." Satisfied with his results, he put the paper with the rest of the pile.

"'As it turns out, humans are pretty cheap.'" Allen quoted to himself. "Hm, Edward and I are alike, in a way. We don't believe in the existence of God, only of the world around us, proven by the strict laws of science."

He smiled as he continued on to finish up the rest of the paperwork. "I found it quite interesting to add Edward's knowledge of the story of Icarus in the series, even if it was brief. It's a shame that if that's as far as mythological references go in the series. Nor does Edward retract his statement on being an atheist despite the fact that he met Truth, who was basically God. Maybe the answers are in the original series. I should watch it later..."

He placed the final form on the finished pile. "Something to think about, I suppose." Looking at the time, he realized that it was already past 4 pm.

"Crap, I better get going before I miss the late buses!" Picking up the giant pile of finished forms, he quickly dashed out of the room, not looking back to see that he dropped the paper with the inscribed transmutation circle.

* * *

They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Perhaps the same may be said about the road to Truth. The all-knowing being has seen many an alchemist attempting to do his job, regardless of their good intentions, only for them to be sent through the Gate by his hand. The realm of God was quite empty, however, save for Truth and two other subordinates, who seemed to be in a world of their own, apparently filled with arguments of the other.

"Fate. Destiny." Truth commanded. The two immediately broke their conversation to face their master. "I shall need you two to withdraw your personal issues for the time being." Truth turned to face the large, gray double doors behind him. "Do you see the young man on the other side of the gate?"

"We do." The female voice from Destiny, who took the appearance of an outline of a young female, replied. She looked at Fate, who took the form of a similarly male outline, who nodded. Like Truth, they changed size and shape according to a visitor of the Gate.

"You two know what lies on the other side of the Gate, do you not?" The two adjuncts nodded positively, but regardless of their answer, Truth intended to continue anyway. "It's quite fascinating. People in this world know the Truth, yet under normal circumstances they should not have Gates on their own, for as long as they are still alive. Yet, there are a select few in this world that do."

This came as a shock to both Fate and Destiny. "There are those who can use alchemy on that side?"

"Indeed. But over there they no longer believe in the ancient rules of alchemy, relying on a more precise and systematic way to understand the very world they live in." Truth chuckled lightly. "Oh, how different the two worlds are. In theirs, they only observe and treasure the world the way it is. Yet, in this other world, they manipulate the land to their own ends at a much larger extent, destroying much of the landscape and everyone is recovering from the aftermath of war. It is the mere belief in alchemy that separates these two worlds apart, but it seems that in this world, there will be a revival of that so-called ancient science in the times to come."

"Surely you don't mean..." Fate trailed off.

"I do." Truth's voice held a trace of giddiness. "It seems that things in Amestris are going to be much more interesting."

"Can we do nothing to prevent this?" Destiny inquired. "There is no need for the boy to be here, or in Amestris."

"I cannot prevent his power, Destiny, and you know this." Truth replied. "The rebound would be devastating, considering the fact that he will perform human transmutation without any form of exchange. Both of you. Your task is to provide that exchange."

Destiny and Fate remained silent, having to face the inevitability of Truth's words. They were the word of God, after all.

"I shall provide you passage. Send him to me." Truth commanded. The Gate of Truth opened, with Fate and Destiny entering its dark clutches.

"Oh, young philosopher, how you interest me."

* * *

Needless to say, Edward Elric was not pleased when a certain mechanical fixing tool made contact with his forehead.

"What the hell, Winry!? Can't you greet people like a normal person!?"

Said blond mechanic was unforgiving. "People who break my precious creations aren't getting any sort of normal greeting from me!" She sighed, just relieved that her two idiots came home safe and sound. "Get inside, you two. Dinner is ready, and unless you want automail in your skull, Ed, you better get your butt in here." She left the balcony, leaving a disgruntled Edward and chuckling Alphonse down below.

"Let's go, Al," the small blonde grumbled, rubbing his head at the site of impact. The suit of armor happily walked inside to avoid another beating from the gearhead girl. They enjoyed their usual meal of stew, and of course, joked about Edward's short stature. It was inevitable, but they were all enjoying themselves as they got reacquainted after a long adventure, and the Rockbell household was bustling activity once again.

It was after their meal that Winry dragged Edward into her workshop while Al discussed with Pinako about their adventures in the military.

"I thought I told you to give me a call if you planned on visiting Resembool." Winry complained as she screwed a bolt in its place inside Edward's metal arm.

"Well, I didn't _plan _on visiting Resembool." Edward retorted. "I got a call from Colonel Bastard that I was needed for another mission, and I was on my way to Central when I ran into some trouble."

"Well, knowing you, you won't tell me what kind of trouble you've been running into, and I'm pretty sure I'm better off not knowing." She accidentally nudged the elbow part of the metal arm, and suddenly the outer plating came right off. Edward's frightened face was just enough to keep her from beating him to a pulp with her trusty wrench. "Now I seriously don't want to know."

Edward eagerly obeyed, not wanting to know the full extent of Winry's fury. He looked at her face as she worked. It was different than the other times. Instead of having a hard expression on her face, completely engrossed in her work, Edward found her relaxed and her mouth tilted downward just slightly.

"Winry." She stopped what she was doing and looked into his eyes. She knew the tone of that voice meant serious business. "Trust me. Al and I will come back to you alive, bodies and souls intact. You have my word. In Equivalent Exchange, you'll stop crying for me."

"Alright." Winry's smile was enough. "But you better come back to me alive, otherwise I'll start hitting your corpse with this wrench until Death feels sympathy for me."

The workshop, once filled with the worries of a young girl, was now replaced with the laughter of a mechanic and a State Alchemist.


End file.
